LEVA Alipasta - Ouzo Smyrnio

The company Bouchlis SA is a processing plant in Mytilene, which since 1953 has been engaged in the production of salt marshes, the processing of olives (which has the distinctive title LEVA) and with the production and bottling of excellent "Ouzo Smyrna".

Constantine Bouglis was its founder, the development was done by his son Michalis, and the baton is now taken over by his grandchildren Irini and Konstantinos. I met the two parents, Michalis and Fotini, both young people, in their unit in Molecules, 6,5 km northwest of Mytilene, where they toured me and described the production process:

How the fish are procured on the same day from the two bays of Gera and Kalloni, how they are cleaned by hand from head and entrails and how they are pickled. How is the maturation process that takes 12 months! How mackerel is cleaned, filleted, hung for 14 hours to smoke. Finally, how olives of Lesvos (variety of stalk and adramytina) -which, although they do not have an impressive appearance, they have a lot of oil and are very nutritious- they peel them and then put them in brine.

The visit ends at the distillery where they still make the recipe of the great-grandfather who came from Smyrna as a refugee and distilled Ouzo long before his son founded the craft in 1953.

The activities of LEVA cover for many years the local, but also almost the entire Greek market. A significant share of its production is also exported. All products are made completely traditionally, with human hands and with the complete absence of chemical preservatives while the company implements a HACCP food health and safety management system.

Of the company's products 55% are salted, 30% oils and olives and 15% are Ouzo and in more detail:

• sardines in sea salt or in oil without preservatives (therefore they must be kept cool)
• anchovies (anchovy) and abdominals headless preserved in sea salt
• mackerel sliced ​​preserved in soybean oil
• olives in tins but also in elegant packages
• and finally the legendary ouzo Smyrna